Jury instructions in plain English

The National Law Journal reports that, after six years of work, the California court system has rewritten more than 800 civil jury instructions in plain English. Their use will be allowed as of Sept. 1. Criminal jury instructions are being rewritten as well and are expected to be ready by September 2005. The court’s official announcement is available here. The approved draft of the instructions is available here. The final version will be posted Sept. 1.